Valgeir Sigurðsson - Little Moscow

In the Cold War, Iceland was a western democracy. The United States operated a base there and Iceland was a member of NATO. Coalitions of center-right parties ran the government and town councils all over the country. But there was one exception: In Neskaupstaður, a town of 1500 people in the east of the country, Socialists ran the show. They came to power in 1946 and kept control for 52 years. The town of Neskaupstadur has been undergoing a lot of transitions in recent years. For half a century the town was ruled by socialists and called “Little Moscow”. These days capitalism has taken over, companies have been privatized and a tunnel is being drilled through the mountain that will open the community to the outside world. Director Grímur Hákonarson tells the curious story of a town in the east of Iceland that until not very long ago was one of the most isolated places in the country.

”In the documentary “Little Moscow” director Grímur Hákonarson tells the curious story of Neskaupsstaður, a town in the east of Iceland that until not very long ago was one of the most isolated places in the country. I wanted to create a score that resonates with the isolation, suggests nostalgia for a simpler time and acknowledges the recent shifts.” - Valgeir Sigurðsson